Chapter 12

Simon

“I don’t fucking get it,” I blurt out with no preface.

Dylan and King both look at me, with expressions that are both curious and shocked. I don’t think they have any fucking idea what I’m talking about. It’s random; I’ll give them that. And seeing as we’re walking into a coffee shop, they refrain from asking any questions until we get our coffee and table.

But I couldn’t contain myself.

“I actually wanted to get her number and see her again.” I grab my black coffee at the counter, trying to process the whole situation between Krista and us. “But obviously, not like this—not in our program. This is the last thing I thought would ever happen.”

They both nod their heads in agreement, but King is the first to confess.

“Same. I’m disappointed we didn’t get to talk to her or at least get to know her more.”

“Fuck! Exactly. I wanted to get her number because I actually want to call her. Fucking crazy, right?” I say.

We find a table away from the crowd, avoiding prying eyes.

Dylan bursts out laughing and then shakes his head in disbelief. “Not crazy. That’s fucking surprising. Who would’ve thought this asshole would actually want to call a woman back? Mr. Casual Sex over here.” His insults are directed at me, but he’s talking to King.

“Okay, douchebag, I’m being serious here,” I say, my tone oddly clipped and harsh.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m joking. Calm down. But yeah, I guess I was a bit disappointed, too,” Dylan admits. He takes a large sip of coffee, wincing as he swallows it. “Fuck, that’s hot.”

“To have another chance with that woman, I’d do almost anything. Fucking sign me up.” King laughs.

That’s what I wanted, another mind-blowing night with Krista. Recalling that night, I had the urge to talk to her again, to know who she was at the bar. But then, she ran away too quickly.

I didn’t get the chance to ask her...or to even try.

I feel relieved knowing that I’m not the only one thinking about Krista like this, but still.

I don’t understand why I felt disappointed about it at the time or why I’m still thinking about it. That’s not like me.

Like Dylan said, I don’t do relationships—I hit it and quit it. I don’t want lingerers, and I fucking hate commitment. The night at the bar, in the closet, is the—my—perfect scenario: fuck the woman and then never see her again.

I sip my coffee, hoping it’s not so hot by now, and shake my head. “But of course, she has to be a fucking grad student in our department, doing similar research. What are the fucking chances?”

“Yeah, it got complicated way too quickly,” King says, scanning the shop, hoping not to see anyone we know—or at least, that’s what it looks like he’s doing. It’s smart seeing as we’re talking in a very public space about a very private matter.

“Seriously? How in the fuck did that happen? One second, we’re fucking her in a closet at the bar. And now, she’s in our department and working with us,” Dylan adds, shrugging his shoulders in disappointment.

“I couldn’t fucking believe my eyes when she walked into the door the other day. I almost had a heart attack.” I laugh, trying to hide how anxious I suddenly feel. “I thought, for sure, we’d be fucked.”

“Seriously, I saw you tense up like a motherfucker. It was hilarious,” Dylan quips.

“Your telling me you were fine? You didn’t think anything? Perhaps that we were caught fucking a student?”

“Nah, we’d be fine. And we still will be. If anything, when she walked in, I just knew I wanted to fuck her again. Seeing that tight-ass body stroll right in front of us, acting like she didn’t know us, it was fucking gold. I almost came in my pants on the spot.”

“You’re fucking crazy, Dylan,” I chortle, trying not to spit out my coffee.

But he’s right; I couldn’t agree more. I also wanted to fuck her on the spot, watching her walk around the campus, pass the familiar walls...

She made things surprisingly exciting again. Most importantly, she pretended like nothing happened. She radiates anxiety, but there’s a hint of excitement in her eyes, almost like she’s having fun playing pretend.

Hell, I am. It turns out to be another turn on for me—keeping our secret.

“Well, now that we do have her number, what do you think we should do with it?” King chimes in, and I can see the wheels in his head turning.

“What do you mean?” I ask, hoping for him to say what I think he’ll say.

“Do we just ignore her?” Dylan adds. “Fuck, no. At least, I won’t.”

“I’m not saying ignore her.” King looks at Dylan, already annoyed at his interruption. “I’m saying, do we want to use it...again?”

“We can use it all we want, but will she reciprocate?” Dylan asks.

King retorts, not missing a beat. “She has so far, so why wouldn’t she again? She seems to have enjoyed herself immensely.”

He’s eyes light up. He’s probably replaying her coming—us coming. I’ll never be able to get that sight out of my head.

“It’s clear that everyone involved wants this to happen. But she’ll keep trying to resist us as much as she can,” I note.

“She does have a lot more risk to take on than us, given her position in the university and ours,” King says, laying out the facts.

Everything he’s saying is true. She’s a graduate student who sees her position as more precarious than ours. And in every account, it is.

She comes to school on a scholarship, and it can easily be revoked if she’s caught finagling with professors.

Though we still have large risks to take into consideration, it’s nothing like the magnitude of her problem.

We all sit there in silence for what feels like hours, looking down at our coffee and then sipping it every once in a while.

I’m the first to break the tension-filled silence.

“Ah, fuck it. I’m not giving in. She can try to resist us all she wants, but I’m not backing down.” A weird sense of righteous and possessiveness is overtaking me.

They both look at me, taken aback by my sudden outburst...again. I’m also very loud, gathering attention from a lot of customers—something I shouldn’t be doing.

“Good, I was hoping you’d say that,” Dylan says, sitting back in his chair, crossing his arms smugly. “I didn’t want to stop pursuing her either. There’s just something about her.”“There is. And we’re about to forgo any responsibility and take on all the damn risks involved to continue to have that sweet-ass pussy.” King smiles menacingly, but the tone of his voice stays stone-cold, giving nothing away.

“Here, here! To that sweet pussy,” Dylan cheers, lifting his coffee cup and tipping it against ours.

We laugh, shaking our heads.

“To Krista,” I correct him.

We might be putting up a front for each other right now, trying to remain cool; but I know, deep down, we’re aching inside, giddy with excitement, thinking about the next time we can be with her—or in her.

How this woman got to all of us, especially me, is beyond my comprehension, and I don’t think I’ll ever understand.

It might be that she’s fucking gorgeous, and my dick goes hard at the mere mention of her name. Or it’s her passion and determination for her research that turns me on, even though I do truly admire that about her.

But who knows?

All I know is that I’m not giving her up, despite everything working against us. We’re all too good at whatever this is to not try.

With a plan set, we decide it’s time to head to the university to get some work done.

When we cross the street, we notice Krista walking ahead of us. Suddenly, her strides slow down.

I look ahead and see a man standing outside the gate, staring at her—or us? No, both.

I don’t need to hear or see anything more. I know something is wrong with this situation. And that same possessive, primal instinct takes over my body.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I don’t know the situation, and I can’t assume anything.

I also can’t go off on someone because I feel the need to protect Krista. How would that sound to the university president?

But King, Dylan, and I exchange glances and walk faster, reaching Krista.

“Do you know this guy, Krista?” I ask.

She smiles, tightly. “He’s um...he’s my ex-boyfriend.”

Oh, fuck.

I glare at the douchebag over Krista’s shoulder, eyeing him up and down like he’s my opponent in the ring. I could take him easily. And I’d be more than happy to, especially if it’s in Krista’s honor.